Sean Parker: Threat to Facebook Is 'Power Users' Heading to Google+

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Sean Parker said that Facebook's biggest threat is its heaviest users leaving the social network to Google+ or Twitter because of lack of controls -- not privacy, but information.

“I don’t think privacy is an issue. That may be controversial but I don’t think that’s Facebook’s biggest problem. I think Facebook’s biggest problem is the glut of information that Facebook’s power users are overwhelmed with," Parker said at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.“The strategic threat to Facebook is that power users have gone to Twitter or to Google+.”

The heaviest users, or "power users," have left for a place to connect with friends rather than become inundated with FarmVille or CityVille requests. "[Power users] want to control what information they are seeing by basically organizing their friends – and that should happen organically – you shouldn’t never have to go to some separate place to do so," Parker continued.

There's some wisdom in what Parker is saying. Facebook's new revamp seems to make it harder, not easier, to check in with what friends are doing -- unless users employ lists. While it's unlikely most Facebook users will leave because of network effects (all their contacts, friends and family are on it,) Parker said it could happen if Facebook does something essentially stupid and Google "does something really smart."

If you follow Parker's logic, that means that Google+ is only one innovation away from social network domination.